Art in support of oppressed Palestinian people

November 29 is the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People. Lovers of peace and freedom hold ceremonies on this day and proclaim their consistence and solidarity with the innocent people of Palestine who have been oppressed for the longest period in history by one of the most criminal regimes in the world.

It was on November 29, 1947 that the UN General Assembly approved resolution 181 to legalize division of Palestine. 33 voted for the resolution while 13 voted against it, 10 abstained and 1 member was absent. Interestingly, the delegates of the US and former Soviet Union, despite their disputes in many global issues, both voted to the benefit of the fake Zionist regime and against the Palestinian nation.

According to resolution 181, Palestine was divided in two sections: one section was offered to the Jewish State and the other section was considered for the Palestinian State. The Jewish section included 55% of Occupied Palestine and the Palestinian section, despite the Palestinians' majority in the region, comprised of just 45% of their own soil. O the night of November 29, Zionists spent in revelry in Tel Aviv and Bayt ul-Moqaddas.

Although the unjust resolution 181 ignored the ancient authentic identity of Palestine and gave less than half of the land to its genuine inhabitants. Yet, in May, 1948, Zionists didn’t tolerate their even this resolution and obstructed the formation of a sovereign Palestinian state. This oppressive act has continued till present day. Although in 1977, the UN announced November 29 as the International Day of Solidarity with the Palestinian People, millions of Palestinians still reside in camps in Syria, Lebanon and Jordan in very dire conditions. Construction of illegal Jewish settlements continue rapidly in Bayt al-Moqaddas and the West Bank via seizure of Palestinian homes and displacement of the genuine residents. Moreover, Gaza, as the largest roofless prison in the world, has turned into the scene of bloodshed by the Zionist occupiers of Palestine.

Today, almost everyone knows that the fake Zionist regime abides by no moral charter or international law and will never respect human rights. This regime keeps committing the most nefarious crimes and has not been accountable for none of the criticisms of the world people and human rights organizations. Palestine has been the most important issue of the Islamic world and the wakeful people of the world for years.

Artists as the watchful eyes and hearing ears of communities, cast especial attention to the pains and mishaps of mankind. In view of this, the crimes of the regime fabricated in Palestine in 1948, have been depicted by artists, particularly cartoonists. Naji al-Ali, renowned Palestinian cartoonist was one of the harbingers of this trend especially with creation of the character of Hanzala. This committed artist was assassinated in London by the Israeli apparatus of espionage and murder, Mossad, with the collaboration of the British MI6 on August 29, 1987.

The World Quds Day, Gaza massacre, 33-day war, Intifada, Palestinian children and mothers and such like issues have much drawn the attention of painters, photographers, caricaturists and so on. Their works have been so effective that the fake Zionist regime has reacted to them hysterically several times. The assassination of Naji al-Ali in London in 1987 was just one such reaction. Naji al-Ali's famous character, Hanzala, was the emblem of the Palestinian people and symbolized the bitter and sad fate of the Palestinian refugees. This Palestinian cartoonist began drawing Hanzala in 1973 with hands clenched behind and turning his back to the viewer. This little boy always wore shabby clothes and was barefooted. In the final years of Naji al-Ali, Hanzala is seen while writing slogans or hurling stones.

One of the reactions of the world artists, to express their sympathy and solidarity with the people of Palestine, was to launch the Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign. This is a non-governmental organization which was set up in 2005 with 171 NGOs. It has founded NGOs which are active in Australia, Canada, the US, France, Britain, Jordan and South Africa and pursue sanctioning the Zionist regime economically, culturally and academically. This movement intends to destroy the power of the Zionist regime, end occupation and colonization of Palestine and recognize the birthrights of the Palestinian citizens.

 With regard to the sanctions exercised by BDS, mention can be made of economic embargoes against the child-killer regime. These incessant efforts and propaganda have caused some companies to cut their dealings with the Zionist regime.

Another activity carried out by this campaign is the scientific and academic sanctions against Israel. Presently, with the efforts of this campaign many academic institutions, associations and unions across the world support BDS.

Cultural sanctions against the Zionist regime constitute other part of the activities of BDS campaign. In view of this, all activists of cultural and artistic fields are asked to halt their agreements and projects with the illegitimate Zionist regime. International festivals and events are also asked reject any sponsoring of the regime or individuals affiliated to it. Thousands of conscientious artists have so far joined the campaign with their signatures. Let us see what Iranian artists have done in this regard.

Iranian artists in various fields such as cinema, painting, photography and caricature haven't been indifferent toward these developments and have created many works pertaining Palestine and World Quds Day. Among these artists, mention can be made of noted photographer, Alfred Yaghobzadeh, who has taken photos in Palestine for 30 years, and his photos are world famous on the subject of Palestine and Intifada. Cartoonist, Masoud Shojai is also a committed artist who has been sympathetic about Palestine and created works on the Palestinian cause and held artistic festivals and contests on the issue. For instance, in 2014 the International Competition on Gaza was held in Iran with the participation of committed and conscientious artists from all over the world.

Furthermore, the International Holocaust Cartoon Competition was held in 2005 and 2015 in Tehran with artists from Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, Australia, Venezuela, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, Britain, Turkey, Sudan, Spain, Serbia, Senegal, Russia, Romania, Nigeria, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Germany, the US, France, Egypt, Denmark, Cuba, Colombia, China, Bulgaria, Canada and Brazil. One of the topics of this international contest was the question: Why should the Holocaust be compensated by the people of Palestine who had no role in WWII? And, if the Nazi Germany was the initiator of war, why has not a part of this country been devoted for the victims of the WWII?

The Iranian cinema has also been active in exposing the countless crimes of the illegitimate Zionist regime through short films, documentaries, animation and so on. Forty years after the victory of the Islamic Revolution, numerous works have been made on the issue of Palestine, Intifada and Resistance. Movies like "The Survivor", "Saturday Hunter", "Emperor of Hell", "Hidden Fire", "Seven Stones" and "Norm of Game" are some of these works. These and other works have disclosed the innocence of the Palestinian people and the barbarity of the criminal regime in Tel Aviv and its brazen supporters in Washington, London and elsewhere.   

RM/ME